Business: Buy Foreign

President Eisenhower last week made it easier for businessmen abroad to
compete with U.S. industrialists for contracts with the Government. By
executive order, the President changed the way the Government will
interpret the Buy American Act.

Formerly, Government agencies were virtually required to grant a
contract to a U.S. bidder if his bid was no more than 25% above that of
a foreign bidder. Although the Administration has already lowered this
percentage informally, on occasion (TIME, Nov. 29), the new regulations
officially set a new differential of less than 10%. Under the new
order, a domestic bid can be thrown out in...